Precision book cutting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A machine for precise cutting of the collated pages of an unbound book has a conveyor with clamps for carrying successive books along a line past two oppositely rotating cutting wheels or precision saws which cut into the book from opposite sides of the book line. Each wheel has a plurality of identical cutting inserts or bits interchangeably fitting in sockets on the wheels. Each bit has four cutting corners or points two of which are effective on each wheel.

United States Patent [191 Aspinwall July 9, 1974 [5 PRECISION BOOKCUTTING APPARATUS 3,706,252 12/1972 Hawkes 83/925 A [75] Inventor: PeterAspinwall, Carlisle, Mass.

. Primary Examiner-J. M. Meister [73] Asslgnee' ggxz g g vgz Attorney,Agent, or Firm-James H. Grover [22] Filed: June 1, 1973 21 Appl. No.:366,133 [57] ABSTRACT A machine for precise cutting of the collatedpages of [52] U S Cl 83/404 4 83/841 83/844 an unbound book has aconveyor with clamps for cari 3/925 rying successive books along a linepast two oppositely [51] Int Cl 323d 45/10 rotating cutting wheels orprecision saws which cut [58] Fie'ld 404 4 404 into the book fromopposite sides of the book line. 83/105, Each wheel has a plurality ofidentical cutting inserts or bits interchangeably fitting in sockets onthe 56] References Cited wheels. Each bit has four cutting corners orpoints two of which are effective on each wheel. UNITED STATES PATENTS3,570,350 3/1971 Fogg 83/925 A 7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures FIG.3

FIG.7

FIG.6

oppositely rotating wheel.

1 PRECISION BOOK CUTTING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENITON As setforth in United States patent application Ser. No. 165,273, filed July22, 1971 by Richard H. Barbour, Jr. for Method of Cutting Thick Books,now US. Pat. No. 3,726,167 and incorporated herein by reference, a greatimprovement in cutting collated books prior to binding is obtained bypenetrating the outer face of the book with a bevelled, chisel-likecutting edge and with the outer extremity of the cutting edge enteringfirst and penetrating deeper than the rotationally forward extremity ofthe same edge. This new use of the bevelled cutting edge produces a cutof the highest quality and excellent salvageable scrap with avoid anceof dust and confetti, all with a remarkable reduction in powerconsumption as compared with known prior book cutting methods. The newmethod may be employed in the Cutter for Book Binding disclosed in US.Pat. No. 3,570,350 of Robert E. Fogg, issued Mar. 16, 1971, alsoincorporated herein by reference, with the further advantage of reducingthe pressure required to clamp the book pages during cutting and ofavoiding damage to the book during cutting.

The object of the present invention is to provide book cutting wheelswith replaceable cutting inserts or bits with cutting edges particularlyadapted to take advantage of the above described book cutting method ofRichard H. Barbour, Jr. as applied to the book cutting apparatus ofRobert E. Fogg, and produce a book cut of improved precision.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION According to the invention apparatus forprecision cutting of a book comprises means for conveying successivebooks on a line, two successive cutting stations on-opposite sides ofthe line, oppositely rotating cutting wheels at said stations forcutting into opposite sides of I mal to the inclination of the socketproviding radially inner and outer cutting points at each end of eachedge, and the wheels being disposed with respect to the book so that theouter cutting point penetrates and cuts the book, and means to mounteach bit in the sockets of either wheel interchangeably so that theunused inner point on one wheel is disposed as the outer point on theDRAWINGS DESCRIPTION Shown in FIG. 1 is book cutting apparatuscomprising a conveyor 1 from which are supported spaced pairs of clamps2, each pair holding the unbound collated pages of a book B. Theconveyor moves the books in the direction of the arrow 1 through twocutting stations 3 and 4. At the first station 3, a cutting wheel 6,driven clockwise by a motor 7 cuts into the near face of the book andpartway through its lower edge or backbone above the signature folds. Atthe second station 4, an oppositely rotating wheel 8 driven by acounterclockvw'se rotating motor 9 cuts into the far side of the bookcompleting the previous cut. As described in the aforementioned Fogg US.Pat. No. 3,570,350, making two cuts shallower than one complete cutsubstantially'reduces the book clamping force and the possibility ofwrinkling or otherwise damaging the book by the greater saw forcerequired for a complete cut. In two cut apparatus, however, it isnecessary that the teeth of the cutting wheel be inclin-ed'or raked inopposite directions. While some cutting wheels may be inverted topresent oppositely inclined teeth, if the teeth are joined integrallywith the wheel by brazing or welding, the wheel as a whole must beremoved for resharpening or discarded when the teeth are dulled. Priorreplaceable inserts or bits, well known in the metal machining art, arenot suitable for practising the method of the Barbour patent applicationSer. No. 165,273.

Shown in FIGS. 2, 6and 7 is the clockwise rotating wheel 6. The counterclockwise rotating wheel 8 is the mirror image of wheel 6. Wheel 6 has adisk shaped body 11 in whose upper face are a number (e.g. 10) of spacedsockets 12 opening at the periphery of the wheel for receiving a cuttinginsert orbit 15. Adjacent and opening on each socket is a recess 13.Staked centrally in each socket is a register pin 14 fitting anaperature 16 in the bit 15. A central bore 17 in each recess is threadedto receive a machine screw 20 for securing a bit block 18 in the recessl3.

The cutting bit 15 has two cutting edges 19 formed at its ends byundercut bevelled faces 21. Overcut lateral bevelled edges 22 fitrespectively in the socket l2 and under a bevelled edge 23 of theclamping block 18 so that when the screw 20 is tightened on the block 13the bit 15 is securely wedged in the socket 12. The lateral bevels ofthebit may. be modified if other known bit clamping means are used.

According to the Barbour application, Ser. No. 165,273, markedlyimproved quality of book cut and salvageable scrap, lower equipment costand economy of power are realized, if the cutting edge 19 of the bit atthe point of entry into the book is incluned at an angle of 0 to 20 awayfrom the face plane of the book, and the outer, rotationally rearwardextremity or cutting point 24 (as compared to the inner point 26) entersthe page first and penetrates deepest. Such conditions are met if thecutting edge is inclined at 45 to the radius of a 9 inch wheel making acut of 1% inch depth. In use the inner point or extremity 26 of thecutting edges does little or no cutting and does not dull appreciably,whereas the outer extremity 24 does the cutting and wears or dulls byfracture.

By extending the end bevel 21 entirely along a cutting edge 19 normal,i.e., at right angles, to the longitudinal axis of the bit, the bit witha normally unused extremity 26 which is inward on the clockwise rotatingwheel 6 may be removed and inserted in the counterclockwise rotatingwheel 8 where it becomes the outer active cutting point of the bit. Suchbit construction doubles the useful life of the bit. Moreover byproviding a like, normal cutting edge 19* symmetrical with the firstedge 19 at the other end of the bit, two additional cutting points 24*and 26* are provided. The additional cutting points 24* and 26* arerespectively useful on oppositely rotating cutting wheels, thusquadrupling theuseful life of the bit. The additional cutting point 24*being diametrically disposed with respect to cutting point 24 may bereversibly disposed in a wheel of the same direction of rotation and atthe same radial distance on the wheel.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustrationonly and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for precision cutting of a book comprismg:

means for conveying successive books on a line,

two successive cutting stations on opposite sides of the line,

oppositely rotating cutting wheels at said stations for cutting intoopposite sides of the books, the wheels having a plurality of sockets inone surface aligned in directions respectively inclined to the wheelaxis in one of the opposite directions of rotation,

a plurality of cutting bits respectively received in the sockets, thebits having an end cutting edge normal to the inclination of the socketproviding radially inner and outer cutting points at each end of eachedge, and the wheels being disposed with respect to the book so that theouter cutting point penetrates and cuts the book first, and

means to mount each bit in the sockets of either wheel interchangeablyso that the unused inner point on one wheel is disposed as the outerpoint on the oppositely rotating wheel.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each bit cutting edge isdefined by a plane surface parallel to the planes of the wheel.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the cutting edge is furtherdefined by a face inclined from the plane surface toward the wheel.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each bit has an identicalcutting edge at its other end, thereby to provide four cutting points oneach bit.

5. Apparatus for precision cutting of a book comprismg:

means for conveying books on a line;

a cutting wheel adjacent to the line for cutting into the sides of thebooks, the wheel having a plurality of spaced sockets in one planesurface aligned in directions respectively inclined to the direction ofrotation of the wheel;

a plurality of cutting bits respectively fitting in the sockets, eachbit having a longitudinal axis of symmetry and two bevelled cuttingedges symmetrically disposed with respect to the axis, the two cuttingedges terminating in diametrically disposed cutting points, and

means detachably holding the bits in the wheel sockets with eithercutting point ofeach bit disposed at the same radial distance on thewheel so that the bits may be reversed in the sockets to use eithercutting point.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the cutting edges of the bitsare normal to the bit axis.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein each bit has oppositelyextending longitudinal surfaces parallel to the bit axis, and saidsockets and holding means have overlying surfaces engaging the bitsurfaces.

1. Apparatus for precision cutting of a book comprising: means forconveying successive books on a line, two successive cutting stations onopposite sides of the line, oppositely rotating cutting wheels at saidstations for cutting into opposite sides of the books, the wheels havinga plurality of sockets in one surface aligned in directions respectivelyinclined to the wheel axis in one of the opposite directions ofrotation, a plurality of cutting bits respectively received in thesockets, the bits having an end cutting edge normal to the inclinationof the socket providing radially inner and outer cutting points at eachend of each edge, and the wheels being disposed with respect to the bookso that the outer cutting point penetrates and cuts the book first, andmeans to mount each bit in the sockets of either wheel interchangeablyso that the unused inner point on one wheel is disposed as the outerpoint on the oppositely rotating wheel.
 2. Apparatus according to claim1 wherein each bit cutting edge is defined by a plane surface parallelto the planes of the wheel.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 whereinthe cutting edge is further defined by a face inclined from the planesurface toward the wheel.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein eachbit has an identical cutting edge at its other end, thereby to providefour cutting points on each bit.
 5. Apparatus for precision cutting of abook comprising: means for conveying books on a line; a cutting wheeladjacent to the line for cutting into the sides of the books, the wheelhaving a plurality of spaced sockets in one plane surface aligned indirections respectively inclined to the direction of rotation of thewheel; a plurality of cutting bits respectively fitting in the sockets,each bit having a longitudinal axis of symmetry and two bevelled cuttingedges symmetrically disposed with respect to the axis, the two cuttingedges terminating in diametrically disposed cutting points, and meansdetachably holding the bits in the wheel sockets with either cuttingpoint of each bit disposed at the same radial distance on the wheel sothat the bits may be reversed in the sockets to use either cuttingpoint.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the cutting edges ofthe bits are normal to the bit axis.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 5wherein each bit has oppositely extending longitudinal surfaces parallelto the bit axis, and said sockets and holding means have overlyingsurfaces engaging the bit surfaces.